Credits and sources

Every photograph on this site is licensed for reuse. Nothing here is stock imagery of someone else's crew, and nothing implies work this company has not done. Where a licence asks for attribution, it is given below.

Photographs

The Des Moines River, home page

“Des Moines River in Gotch Park, Humboldt County, Iowa” by Brandonrush. Released under CC0 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Des Moines Water Works building

Photograph by Tony Webster, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and converted to WebP, not otherwise altered.

Supply well under construction, 1870s

“Supply well for Des Moines Water Works”, Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views, New York Public Library. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Water from a faucet, and a glass of water

Both released under CC0 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Data

Figure 1, daily nitrate readings

Transcribed from Central Iowa Water Works, Stage III daily updates, ciww.gov. 43 dated readings for each river, 16 June to 30 July 2025.

Founding members and ban coverage

Central Iowa Water Works, founding entities and the Stage 3 water warning release, June 2026.

Nitrate source attribution

Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment, commissioned by Polk County, released July 2025.

Hardness

City of Waukee water quality page, published average of 7.5 to 8.5 grains per gallon.